The Audacious Roundup
For the week of March 23rd
AUDACIOUS BOOKCLUB HAPPENINGS
Our April selection will be Black. Single. Mother. by Jamilah Lemieux. We will be in conversation with Jamilah on April 29th, at 8 pm EST/5 pm PST. Registration is open.
For newcomers, there is a bookclub FAQ if you have questions about how it all works. We’re partnering with the lovely people at Allstora for the Audacious Book Club. Now, you can sign up to have the monthly selections delivered to your doorstep each month! Otherwise, I’ve put together an Audacious Book Club storefront if you want to buy current or forthcoming book club titles.
THE NEWSLETTER WEEK IN REVIEW
Slow week, I guess.
PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL NEWS
On April 9th, I will be in conversation with Chanda Prescod-Weinstein at Rutgers! Details and registration here. The event is free and open to the public.
For my Australian readers, I will be back in Sydney on June 12th, in conversation with Narelda Jacobs! Tickets here!
Sometimes, really unexpected but delightful things happen to a writer. Bad Feminist is the March pick for Dua Lipa’s book club. I made a playlist for readers. I also offer some feminist reading recommendations. And then, Ashley Ford writes some very kind things about our mentor relationship that has blossomed into a wonderful friendship.
Book and project links: Books I’ve Written, RGB Imprint Titles, Rebind: The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton; The Forgotten Occupation.
READING MATERIAL
The war with Iran continues.
As you might have guessed, the white house ballroom designs are a mess.
Every news story about the president is WTF and here we have a new entry: the president is going to put his signature on the money. It’s so absurd and embarrassing. That man has never met a dollar he couldn’t devalue.
ICE agents were deployed to several airports because TSA agents were still not getting paid because Congress can’t figure out how to fund DHS without funding their Temu Gestapo aka ICE.
Blah blah blah MAGA merchandise. These people have no aesthetic. No taste. No style. Sad.
Kash Patel was hacked by Iranian hackers.
This one time, Pete Hegseth decided to block the promotions of four military officers who rightfully earned advancement because he is a bigot. Also, the military is raising the recruitment age to 42. Seems desperate.
It was interesting to see the connection between chiropractors and MAHA highlighted.
RIP Tracy Kidder, author of many excellent books. RIP Daphne Selfe.
Instagram and YouTube were found liable for making their platforms addictive to young people.
Prolific predator Bill Cosby will have to pay $59 million to one of his victims.
More on César Chavez and his cult of personality.
This headline alone indicates…. lots of things went wrong here.
And what in the reputation washing is this profile?
Really, what are we going to do about men?
Speaking of… some of them have discovered the wonders of a basic life skill.
More AI thievery nonsense. I just cannot even. I refuse. I rebuke.
When Colbert ends his run he’s going to write a Lord of the Rings movie!
Mariska Hargitay is heading to Broadway! Detective Benson to the stage!
Let me be sure I have this correctly. HBO is making a seven-season TV series based on the Harry Potter books that have already been made into very, very successful films, despite the fact that JK Rowling, however beloved she may be to many, is actively funding anti-trans groups with her wealth? Choices do have consequences.
The Olympics are banning trans athletes which is just… ridiculous.
There’s a Temu Anna Delvey! And honestly, how many scammers and cult leaders are actually out there? Seems like a lot.
Remember that Netflix documentary about the mother who was secretly bullying her own daughter? There’s a husband in Germany who said, Hold my beer.
On Gene Hackman’s last days.
When you expect to get on a flight but then a bus pulls up!
Guess what? Original movies actually do pretty well in theatres.
Why PhDs should study creative writing!
Searching for JM Coetzee in Capetown.
Another day, another scam targeting writers.
Whew. This piece about the frenzy to have one’s wedding covered by Vogue is… intense.
A divorce registry sounds like a wonderful idea if you and your spouse are breaking up.
There was a Kit Kat heist in Europe! Zut alors!
Tiger Woods crashed his car again and was arrested for DUI even though he didn’t have any alcohol in his system. That man should not be allowed to drive.
The curious story of a man with no arms or legs who shot another man and killed him.
Here’s a conversation with Jay Z. And a look at how Lindsay Vonn is doing. A conversation with Ibram X. Kendi. A conversation with Gloria Steinem about her new memoir.
The WNBA players had a secret weapon in their contract negotiations.
After the Redzepi reckoning, is fine dining really going to change? (Probably not.)
When a therapist blurred boundaries in unacceptable ways!
A new food magazine, Tomato Tomato, has launched.
A poem by Shana Ross. A wonderful short story from Emma Copley Eisenberg. An excerpt from Chanda Prescod-Weinstein’s new book The Edge of Space-Time.
Very low stakes book drama.
The Atlantic is partnering with a cruise line and this is actually kind of interesting. I’m curious to see how it all goes. If any cruise line out there wants to partner with The Rumpus, we are here!
Do you show promise in the culinary arts (including as a food writer)? Here is a prize for you!
A woman becomes a doctor at the very university where she was once a janitor. Congratulations to her on both jobs, honestly. Hard work is hard work.
That old couple doing Door Dash have received more than $1 million from strangers.
I don’t care that this dog story isn’t real. It is real to me. Much like Santa Claus.
THE RUMPUS WEEK IN REVIEW
Essays:
There is Only a God in Grief by Nora Wagner
To My Date at the Wonder Bar by Christine Huang
Fiction:
Lunatics in America by Ainhoa Palacios
Poetry:
Three Poems by Cammy Thomas
Reviews:
Seeking a Way In: :Woman House: Essays and Assemblages” by Lauren W. Westerfield by McKenzie Watson-Fore
“a desire, a desire”: Appetite & Obsession in Summer Farah’s “The Hungering Years” by Ally Ang
Interviews:
A Conversation with Jeannine A. Cook by Nicole Shawan Junior
A Conversation with Naeem Murr by David Y.
A Conversation with Kelsey L. Smoot by Acree Graham Macam
I love the Audacious Roundup! So informative and interesting. And so funny: That man has never met a dollar he couldn’t devalue. The Temu references. The "Sad" comment so perfectly placed. LMFAO!
Is there supposed to be a link about the therapist blurring lines? I'm always here for mental health-related tea.